Cruise holidays<\/h4>\n
Fred. Olsen (www.fredolsencruises.com<\/a> \/0800 0355 150) has introduced a \u2018no single supplement\u2019 offer on certain twin grade cabins for sole occupancy on a selection of cruises.<\/p>\n Nathan Philpot, the line\u2019s Sales and Marketing Director says: \u201cWe understand how difficult it can be to find holidays for one person without single supplements. So, to extend a warm welcome to single travellers, we are offering special deals on selected 2014\/15 twin cabins for sole occupancy.\u201d<\/p>\n On board Fred. Olsen ships there are exclusive gatherings for solo travellers to get to know one other. Staff seat passengers together for dinner and if required, arrange companions for solo travellers when going ashore. Besides that, there are Gentleman Hosts and Dance Couples on board to provide dancing partners.<\/p>\n The relatively small size of the ships and relaxed, friendly atmosphere make these cruises especially attractive for those travelling alone. Around 75 per cent of guests are over 50 years old, with the average age being mid-sixties. However, mini cruises tend to attract a younger crowd. Fred. Olsen\u2019s 2014\/15 cruise programme includes the cruise line\u2019s first-ever series of two-night \u2018Introductory Cruises\u2019 making it easier for solos to try this kind of holiday to see if it suits.<\/p>\n Saga (www.saga.co.uk\/cruises<\/a> \/0800 50 50 30) is also a good bet. On its ships, about a quarter of cabins are for single occupants. They almost always sell out, so book well ahead. Saga also has dance hosts on hand in the evenings should ladies wish to take to the floor. Saga\u00a0also runs a programme of exciting holidays exclusively for solo travellers aged 50 and over, including trips to China, South Africa and Central America.<\/p>\n Seasoned solo traveller Jane Williams, 53, says, \u201cI\u2019ve booked five or six HF Holidays and although there are special weeks just for single people, I have always booked the \u2018ordinary\u2019 holidays with a mix of couples and people on their own.<\/p>\n “The country houses are in beautiful locations. I have enjoyed the sociability of guided walking holidays, and special interest ones like painting, and I\u2019ve also done a Freedom Break, which is where you do your own thing in the daytime \u2013 sightseeing, or just relaxing around the house \u2013 but you have other people to talk to over dinner and at breakfast.<\/p>\n “Meals are family-style with tables of 8 or 10. And though it\u2019s optional, there\u2019s usually something laid on in the evening, like a quiz or talk. The holidays are good value too, because so much is included in the price and apart from a glass of wine in the evening, I spend hardly any extra!\u201d<\/p>\n Or how about taking an organised coach tour? Just the job for individual travellers. Sit back, enjoy the view, listen to the guide and choose whether or not to talk to your neighbour! They are all inclusive with travel, hotel and visits to attractions included in the price, so are great value for money. There\u2019s a huge choice of destinations to choose from both in the UK and overseas. Better still, you won\u2019t get lost trying to find your way or lose your luggage. You won\u2019t be the only person on their own and will have plenty of company. (www.findacoachholiday.com<\/a>\u00a0\/0870 850 2839).<\/p>\n Trips vary from a few days, including \u2018taster weekends\u2019 for those who are perhaps slightly nervous to venture on their first trip alone, to longer discovery tours including a 36-day trip to explore Australia and New Zealand. All tours feature the services of a Just You tour manager. There are no single supplements, guests always have their own room and welcome drinks and farewell get-togethers are included as part of the package.<\/p>\n Cindy Dinsmore from Langley, 54, started travelling alone in 2006. Since then she has travelled far and wide with Just You visiting destinations including the USA, Poland, Austria, Tuscany, Hong Kong and Kenya. \u201cThese holidays are great value for money and attract all age groups. For anyone hesitating about travelling alone, I say, just go for it. You\u2019ll have so much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Safaris, special-interest trips and expedition cruises tend to have a high percentage of solo travellers.<\/p>\n \u2022 If willing to share a room with a same sex member, you could save the single supplement if you travel with operators that charge extra.<\/p>\n \u2022 You may be able to negotiate a deal with companies that normally charge a single room supplement. Some offer supplement-free trips during the low season.<\/p>\n \u2022 If you don\u2019t like eating alone, find out before you book what happens at dinner on organised trips. On a cruise, ask if seating is allocated or if you can vary where you sit.<\/p>\n \u2022 Ask before you book if there will be other solo travellers like yourself. This can give you peace of mind if you feel apprehensive.<\/p>\n Freelance journalist Gilly Pickup specialises in destination and cruise travel but also produces features on a range of subject including wellbeing, food, lifestyle, beauty and real life. She\u00a0writes for\u00a0the Daily Telegraph, Daily Express and\u00a0various magazine. She has also written two books, The A-Z of Curious London<\/em>, published in July this year and Haunted London West End<\/em>, to be published in December.\u00a0For more information visit:\u00a0www.gillypickup.co.uk <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" GILLY PICKUP recommends some great holidays for older travellers travelling\u00a0on their own\u00a0and offers tips to avoiding the dreaded single-room supplement So, you\u2019re going on holiday alone. Perhaps it is for the first time and you feel a little apprehensive or you are a seasoned traveller who just wants to spend time doing what you want […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10320,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_analytify_skip_tracking":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[41],"yst_prominent_words":[8349,8341,8355,8351,8353,8344,8347,8342,8352,199,8345,8358,8356,8343,8357,2993,8354,8346,8348,8350],"class_list":["post-7503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-travel-2"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-01 00:26:15","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category"},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7503"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24450,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7503\/revisions\/24450"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7503"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=7503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"solo](\"http:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/single-travel_640x480-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>Cruise holidays have long been popular with older people, and particular single travellers. It\u2019s easy to make friends at mealtimes and during activities but the biggest problem can be the single-room\/cabin supplement. Few ships have single cabins so passengers often have to pay single-occupancy charges for double cabins.<\/p>\nGuided walking breaks<\/h4>\n
![\"solo](\"http:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/solo-walking_427x640-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>HF Holidays (www.hfholidays.co.uk<\/a> \/0845 470 7558) offer guided walking holidays for solo travellers based at country houses. PR Manager Vladi Harris says: \u201cWe welcome single guests on all our holidays but on solos\u2019 holidays the house is set aside for singles with no supplement charged.\u201d Price includes full-board accommodation, walks and social activities.<\/p>\nSpecialist singles operators<\/h4>\n
![\"solo](\"http:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/solo-travel-2_640x427-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>Specialist singles tour operator Just You (www.justyou.co.uk<\/a> \/0800 112 3311) offers an incredible range of tours in Europe and further afield. Their customers cover a wide age range up to the late 80s; the majority being in their 50s and 60s.<\/p>\nTips for solo travellers<\/h4>\n